Kids on the Hill Preschool

Kids on the Hill Preschool includes daily activities such as balancing, throwing and catching balls, riding bikes, climbing, skipping, running, jumping, and movement for body awareness. Children use manipulative items, puzzles, cutting, gluing, drawing, sewing, and play dough, and they work with paint, collage, clay, textures, 3-dimensional projects, and cooperative mural making. The program also features children’s literature, puppet shows, storytelling and children’s own stories, creative dramatics, songs, finger play, instruments, drumming, and a wide variety of music forms, along with sequencing, classification, comprehension, prediction, thinking skills, hands-on experimentation, nature study, gardening, building, and activities focused on sharing, cooperation, manners, following directions, self help, and resolving social conflicts.

• Ages: 2–5 years old
• Schedule: The day includes classroom play, snack, outdoor time, a whole-school “big circle,” lunch, and, for some children, a quiet rest period followed by afternoon enrichment in cooking, literacy, art, science, or music and movement.

Kids on the Hill Preschool states that it works hard to provide a safe, secure, and creatively prepared learning environment and offers discovery learning through play with simple instruction, example, and loving care. The program describes itself as a high quality developmental preschool that incorporates ideas from Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf, Erik Erikson, and Reggio Emilia, with an environment and curriculum that actively involve the whole child and group children by age to address specific developmental needs. The school notes that teachers stay current with research on brain development, literacy, language acquisition, and numeracy learning best practices, and that it places importance on nature, simplicity, and physical surroundings that inspire creativity, including an outdoor play area described as an extension of learning. Kids on the Hill Preschool emphasizes long periods of play, meaningful gatherings, simple transitions, a consistent routine, daily “big circle” time for song, story, or topical lessons, and afternoon extension time with rest followed by enrichment activities. The mission statement also says the program emphasizes development of the self in relationship to family, friends, and the community, promotes awareness and responsibility for self, family, friends, community, the environment, different cultures, and character, and supports the entire family unit while striving to help families meet the challenges of raising their children.

Kids on the Hill Preschool is a ministry of Hillside Church of Marin. The leadership team includes Director DeeDee Hanes and teachers Jackie Giuliani (Tiger PreK class), Barbi Martinez (two-year-old Tadpoles class), Kyra Albers (three-year-old Butterfly class), Genny Gomez (three- and four-year-old Dolphin class), and floating teacher Dina Cheney. The director and teaching staff have backgrounds that include BA and MA degrees in education-related fields, early childhood education coursework, Montessori training, and many years of experience in early childhood teaching, administration, early intervention, and work with children from infancy through pre-K.

Last updated May 15, 2026.